(FT) – The European Central Bank confounded monetary hawks by extending its economic stimulus programme until at least September next year, pushing down the euro as investors digested Mario Draghi’s refusal to call the end to emergency crisis-era measures. Although the ECB announced its stimulative bond purchases will be halved to €30bn a month, the…

MADRID (Reuters) – The upper house of Spain’s parliament on Friday authorized the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to rule Catalonia directly from Madrid, minutes after the restive region declared independence from Spain. Rajoy is now expected to convene his cabinet to adopt the first measures to govern Catalonia. This could include firing the…

BARCELONA/MADRID (Reuters) – Catalonia’s parliament declared independence from Spain on Friday in defiance of the Madrid government, which at the same time was preparing to impose direct rule over the region. Although the declaration was in effect a symbolic gesture as it will not be accepted by Spain or the international community, the moves by…

ATHENS (Reuters) – A potential deal with the United States to upgrade dozens of Greece’s F-16 fighter jets is not expected to harm its fiscal progress and should not worry its EU lenders, a Greek government spokesman said on Thursday. Defense spending has been reduced during Greece’s seven-year debt crisis, which shrank the size…

(Reuters) – The Spanish government has urged Catalans to accept Madrid’s decision to dismiss their secessionist leadership and to take control of the restive region, as the nation’s biggest political crisis in decades enters a decisive week Spain’s foreign minister made the comment on Sunday, a day after Madrid vowed to take the unprecedented step…

Reuters – Catalonia’s leaders said on Saturday they would not accept direct rule imposed on the region by the Spanish government, as a political crisis that has rattled the economy and raised fears of prolonged unrest showed no signs of easing Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced earlier on Saturday he would invoke special…

Reuters – North Korea has sent a letter to Australia’s parliament, warning it is a nuclear power and will not be cowed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to destroy it, according to a copy of the letter published in an Australian newspaper on Friday. “If Trump thinks that he would bring the DPRK,…